Attack on Titan – S1E22 – The Vanquished/The 57th Expedition, Part 6

We are back with this week’s recap on Attack on Titan! Levi and Mikasa are still on the heels of the Female Titan who is trying to escape with Eren resting inside of his jaw. Even though Levi saved Mikasa from what could have been a gruesome death, (understatement of the century) she berates him for not being there to protect Eren. That’s when he realizes that she’s his friend that spoke out at his trial. It’s probably because of that connection he doesn’t back hand her for insubordination. Instead, he tells her that they’re going to work to rescue Eren. They’re not going to bother trying kill her; with her ability to harden it’s too dangerous. Mikasa begrudgingly follows.

Levi has this reputation that proceeds him and we see it in action. He slices, he dices, he knocks that titan bitch down on her ass and she drops the hand that protects the weak point. Mikasa gets caught in the bloodlust and tries to go for the kill. Levi blocks her from getting a back fist from the titan, injuring his ankle in the process. It doesn’t slow him down though; he pushes off and cuts Eren out from her jaws and tells Mikasa to haul ass. Levi looks back at the titan and sees tears rolling down her face.

The Scout Regiment is returning back to the city. They’ve been battered to shit and to make things worse, we check in on the families of Levi’s slaughtered squad. They hear that they’re returning and naturally they’re excited. They don’t have any reason to believe they perished. Armin and John exchange thoughts as they prepare the dead for the final return home. So do Connie and Sasha. They are all preoccupied with the harsh reality of their mortality. Armin says he tries not to put any thought to it as much as he can. Fear, specifically the fear of death is a mind killer. While Sasha tries to assure Connie that they survived and to take comfort in that, Connie replies that they’ll probably never see their homes again.

Erwin checks with the recovery squads. They recovered all but five bodies and mostly a gruesome collection of body parts. One makes the recommendation that they don’t bring the parts home out of respect for the families of the dead. Erwin nods and says to list them as MIA. He’s also informed of Titans in the vicinity but haven’t taken notice of them. Erwin gives the order to move out immediately. Before it’s carried out, one of the newest recruits stops the Commander. He insists they go retrieve the bodies that were left in the forest. They want to bring their friend Ivan home. Levi tells them that if they saw the body, that will have to do. Erwin tells them that they’ve already been listed as missing in action. End of story.

They’ve made their move to the wall and Mikasa rides along the wagon that Eren is in. She’d risk everything for him, it’s rather sweet. But it doesn’t last long when two titans start to gain ground on the formation. The two newbies are responsible for their attack. It ends badly as it started. One of them is eaten and Mikasa has to save the other from death. It ends with Levi telling the wagons to dump the corpses. There was a time when they didn’t have the option to bring home their dead. So they dump all of the bodies. One of the bodies that is tossed first is Petra, the only woman in his squad. You can’t help but feel shitty witnessing this.

They manage to escape the titans and eventually outrun them. When the regiment takes a moment to catch their breath and alter course, Levi approaches Dieter. You know, the idiot newbie that caused all the trouble. He gets a gift from Levi. He hands him the Scout Insignia patch from Ivan’s jacket. He says; “This is proof to me that they lived.” Dieter sheds tears of shame, regret, and mourning.

Eren has a dream about the day he saw the Scouts return from a botched mission. He goes to hit the guy who would dare insult the mighty Scout Regiment and…he freezes. He’s not the angry kid any more. He’s an adult and he knows the truth. He wakes up with a start and sees Mikasa. They’re back at the wall and Eren finds himself being judged by the townspeople. Levi deals with Petra’s father talking cheerfully about Petra and an implied crush she has on Levi. He looks dead ahead. But Commander Erwin bears the worst of it. The people demand answers. Why so many dead? What was the point? Was it worth it? Are you even human? Erwin keeps his eyes forward. This is the burden of his command.. Eren experiences is own personal shame when a boy he saw earlier actually cheers the Scouts on for coming back with battle scars. The episode ends with everyone being summoned to the Capitol City and Eren to be turned over to the Government.

Matthew Freitas is the resident Green Lantern and Hired Sword patrolling the Project Fandom sector of the internet. He brings reviews of some of the latest games and movies. When he has down time, he can be found doing almost any geek-related activity.

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